Fluid passage arrangement of a heat absorber for use in a liquid-cooling type cooling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A fluid passage arrangement of a heat absorber for use in a liquid-cooling type cooling apparatus is disclosed to have a heat-absorber plate, and a cover plate covering the heat-absorber plate and defining with the heat-absorber plate a hermetically sealed chamber, the heat-absorber plate having upright partition strips that divide the sealed chamber into multiple partition zones that form a maze passage and are respectively divided into parallel passages by parallel fins. The partition strips and parallel fins lower the flowing speed of the heat-transfer fluid passing through the heat absorber and increase the contact area between the heat-transfer fluid and the heat absorber, increasing the heat energy absorbing effect of the heat absorber and the utilization of the cooling apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a heat absorber for use in aliquid-cooling type cooling apparatus for computer and moreparticularly, to the fluid passage arrangement of a heat absorber forliquid-cooling type cooling apparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

In a computer, the main heat-generating electronic device is the CPU. Inorder to effectively dissipate heat from the CPU of a computer, acooling apparatus shall be used.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional liquid-cooling type cooling apparatusfor this purpose. This structure of liquid-cooling type coolingapparatus comprises a heat absorber 91, a liquid tank 92, and a heatsink 93. The heat absorber 91 is adapted to absorb heat from the CPU,for enabling absorbed heat energy to be transferred through aheat-transfer tube 94 to the heat sink 93. The liquid tank 92 is adaptedto store a heat-transfer fluid.

The aforesaid heat absorber 91, as shown in FIG. 2, is comprised of aheat-absorber plate 911, a gasket 912, and a top cover plate 913. Theheat-absorber plate 911 has a detoured fluid passage 910 formed in thetop wall. The gasket 912 seals the detoured fluid passage 910,preventing leakage. The fluid passage 910 is a one-way fluid channel forforward flowing of the heat-transfer fluid. During flowing of theheat-transfer fluid, the contact area between the heat-transfer fluidand the fluid passage 910 is limited to the two opposite sidewalls ofthe fluid passage 910, therefore the heat-transfer fluid 910 can onlyabsorb heat energy from the limited area of the two opposite sidewallsof the fluid passage 910. Further, because the heat-transfer fluid 910keeps flowing in the fluid passage 910. When observing a particularlocation in the fluid passage 910, the fluid in such a particularlocation does not stay for long to effectively absorb heat energy fromthe heat-absorber plate 911. Therefore, the aforesaid heat absorber 91is still not satisfactory in function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances inview. It is therefore the main object of the present invention toprovide a fluid passage arrangement of a heat absorber for use in aliquid-cooling type cooling apparatus, which greatly improves the heatabsorbing effect of the heat absorber, increasing the utilization of thewhole cooling apparatus.

To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the fluidpassage arrangement of a heat absorber for use in a liquid-cooling typecooling apparatus is comprised of a heat-absorber plate, and a coverplate. The cover plate covers the heat-absorber plate, defining with theheat-absorber plate a hermetically sealed chamber. The cover plate hastwo through holes in communication between the sealed chamber and theoutside space.

The sealed chamber comprises at least one partition strip, which dividesthe sealed chamber into at least two partition zones, and a plurality ofparallel fins arranged in parallel in each of the at least two partitionzones and defining in each of the at least two partition zones aplurality of parallel passages. Each of two adjacent ones of the atleast two partition zones have one same side connected to each other toform a maze passage, which has a front and a rear end respectivelyconnected to the through holes of the cover plate.

By means of the parallel fins and the parallel passages in each of theat least two partition zones, the contact area between the heat-transferfluid and the heat absorber is greatly increased. Further, the design ofthe maze passage and the parallel passages in each of the at least twopartition zones lowers the flowing speed of the heat-transfer fluid.When observing one particular location in the passages, it will be seenthat the heat-transfer fluid has more time to absorb heat energy fromthe heat-absorber plate at such a particular location. Therefore, theinvention greatly improves the heat energy connecting effect of the heatabsorber, increasing the utilization of the cooling apparatus.

The at least one partition strip and the parallel fins can be madedirectly upwardly protruded from the top face of the heat-absorberplate. This design makes the fabrication of the heat absorber easy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a conventional liquid-cooling typecooling apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a heat absorber according to the priorart.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a heat absorber made according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the heat absorber shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a heat absorber made according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a heat absorber made according to theaforesaid manufacturing process comprises a heat-absorber plate 1, and atop cover 2. The top cover 2 covers the heat-absorber plate 1, definingwith the, heat-absorber plate 1 a hermetically sealed chamber 10. Thetop cover 2 has two through holes 21, 22 in communication between thesealed chamber 10 and the atmosphere.

The heat-absorber plate 1 is made of a copper plate, comprising a topface 11, three partition strips 3 upwardly protruded from the top face11 and suspended in the sealed chamber 10. The three partition strips 3divide the sealed chamber 10 into four partition zones 41˜44. Each oftwo adjacent ones of the four partition zones 41˜44 have one same sideconnected to each other, thereby forming a maze passage 4. Further,parallel fins 31 are arranged in each of the four partition zones 41˜44,defining a plurality of parallel passages 411˜441. The parallel fins 31are upwardly protruded from the top face 11 of the heat-absorber plate1. The maze passage 4 has a front end 401 and a rear end 402respectively connected to the two through holes 21, 22 of the top cover2.

The heat-transfer fluid used in the liquid-cooling type coolingapparatus using the aforesaid heat absorber passes in or out of thesealed chamber 10 through the through hole 21 or 22. When entered thesealed chamber 10, the heat-transfer fluid flows in the parallelpassages 411˜441 to contact and absorb heat from the parallel fins 31.Because the heat-transfer fluid touches the surface of the parallel fins31 when passing through the heat absorber, the contact area between theheat-transfer fluid and the heat absorber is greatly increased.Therefore, the heat-transfer fluid effectively absorbs heat energy fromthe heat absorber.

Further, when passing through the parallel passages 411˜441, the flowingspeed of the heat-transfer fluid is reduced due to the effect of theparallel fins 31 and the three partition strips 3. When observing oneparticular location in the passages 411˜441, it will be seen that theheat-transfer fluid has more time to absorb heat energy from theheat-absorber plate 1 at such a particular location. Therefore, theinvention greatly improves the heat energy connecting effect of the heatabsorber, increasing the utilization of the cooling apparatus.

Further, the three partition strips 3 and the parallel fins 31 aredirectly protruded from the top face 11 of the heat-absorber plate 1.This design facilitates the fabrication of the heat-absorber plate byway of conventional processing techniques.

FIG. 5 shows a heat absorber made according to the second embodiment ofthe present invention. According to this embodiment, the heat-absorberplate 5 has a bottom flange downwardly protruded from the bottom face 50thereof, forming a heat absorbing zone 51 adapted to absorb heat energyfrom a heat generating electronic device (not shown). This designenables the heat absorber to be accurately secured to the heatgenerating electronic device without interfering with other electroniccomponent parts around the heat generating electronic device that arerelatively taller than the heat generating electronic device.

Although the present invention has been explained in relation to itspreferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A fluid passage arrangement of a heat absorber for use in aliquid-cooling type cooling apparatus, comprising a heat-absorber plate,and a cover plate covering said heat-absorber plate and defining withsaid heat-absorber plate a hermetically sealed chamber, said cover platehaving two through holes in communication between said sealed chamberand the outside space, wherein: said sealed chamber comprises at leastone partition strip, said at least one partition strip dividing saidsealed chamber into at least two partition zones, and a plurality ofparallel fins arranged in parallel in each of said at least twopartition zones and defining in each of said at least two partitionzones a plurality of parallel passages, each of two adjacent ones ofsaid at least two partition zones having one same side connected to eachother to form a maze passage, said maze passage having a front and arear end respectively connected to the through holes of said coverplate.
 2. The fluid passage arrangement as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid heat-absorber plate has a top face; said at least one partitionstrip is upwardly protruded from said top face of said heat-absorberplate.
 3. The fluid passage arrangement as claimed in claim 2, whereinsaid parallel fins are upwardly protruded from the top face of saidheat-absorber plate.
 4. The fluid passage arrangement as claimed inclaim 1, therein said heat-absorber plate further comprises a bottomflange downwardly protruded from a bottom face thereof, forming a heatabsorbing zone attachable to a heat generating electronic device forabsorbing heat energy.
 5. The fluid passage arrangement as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said heat-absorber plate is a copper plate member.